Most Americans have perfected the art of the long weekend, masterfully cramming all we can into 72 relaxing yet jam-packed hours.

It’s not our fault—we tend to get the fewest vacation days and, go figure, often leave a good number of them unused. And though we long for warm, salty breezes and lying poolside while slowly and carelessly drifting from one destination to the next, a 30- or 14-day sail isn’t always the easiest or most realistic vacation to pull off. Thankfully, there’s been a rise in shorter cruises to places we actually want to go. Like Baja California, where Lindblad Expeditions’ National Geographic Venture does five days in the Sea of Cortez, stopping for sunset barbecues on deserted beaches and to snorkel alongside reef fish; or southern France, with SeaDream Yacht Club, passing along the steep cliffs and limestone inlets of the Côte d’Azur. Royal Caribbean even has a three-night Bahamas island-hopping sail, which would otherwise be a bear to coordinate.

Imagine, a fully immersive trip that requires little more than simply booking it.